Producers of plastic and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) should be held responsible for managing the plastic waste they generate, Paul Holthus, president of World Ocean Council (WOC), a global business association promoting corporate ocean responsibility, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th March, 2020) Producers of plastic and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) should be held responsible for managing the plastic waste they generate, Paul Holthus, president of World Ocean Council (WOC), a global business association promoting corporate ocean responsibility, told Sputnik.
A California-based environmental group has recently sued several large companies, among them Pepsi and Coca-Cola, for generating plastic pollution. In February, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act was introduced in the US Congress to call for extended producer responsibility where plastics makers, as well as those involved in packaging and distribution, would be responsible for covering the costs of managing the waste associated with their products.
"I think as part of the corporate responsibility overall, companies need to be aware and responsible for the products that they create and where they end up with the view of the circular economy and life cycle analysis of the products and the energy, the water," Holthus said.
He said many companies were already in the works to address the issue of plastic waste and their effort should be further incentivized through a respective regulatory framework.
"The idea overall of extended producer responsibility with plastic makers is good as long as plastic makers are involved in those discussions and are providing input on the reality and practicality of what's being proposed and how it could be implemented in the way that works with the industry and actually provides meaningful change," Holthus said.
Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental issues at the moment and a component of the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030. Plastic products are cheap, with many of them � like bags or cups � discarded immediately after use, so plastic waste is piling up across the globe. Ending up in ocean, this type of waste puts the marine ecosystem high at risk as sea animals cannot digest plastic particles.
